


Minor Arcana

by AughtPunk



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Monster Hunters, Alternate Universe - Victorian, M/M, Tarot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-08
Updated: 2014-01-08
Packaged: 2018-01-07 22:55:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1125369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AughtPunk/pseuds/AughtPunk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Monster Hunter AU, based on the Resurrection Lily series by Maiden_of_the_Moon.</p>
<p>Once again, Carlos has found himself on the edge of life and death. But instead of his normal maddening visions he finds himself in a new location. And a new host shuffling the deck of cards.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Minor Arcana

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Maiden_of_the_Moon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maiden_of_the_Moon/gifts).



Carlos wasn't sure what he had expected.

 Perhaps he was expected nothing. He was a scientist after all, so the idea of non-existence itself had crossed his mind. That he would end, and with it all of his memories. Or perhaps the universe would be cruel, and would leave him adrift for eternity with nothing but his regrets. From the sermons of his youth he was told of paradise, or even the fires of hell. In all honesty he would have been perfectly happy with an empty gazebo. One where he could sit and wait for his companion. His partner. He would have waited an eternity to see the Marquis again.

 He didn't except a room smaller than his storage closet back home. Most of the space had been taken up by a low table covered with a silk cloth. Right in the middle laid a dark obsidian plate that had been polished enough to reflect the unseen candlelight from above. The air was thick with incense and smoke, filling the room with a slight haze. He blamed it for the reason he didn't notice the other man sooner. Across from him sat a man he knew better than his own self. How many times had he caught himself staring at this man? How many dreams were spent filled with Carlos' most secret desires? Carlos parted his lips, eager to confess everything before they were parted once more.

 The man sitting across from Carlos looked up, and the words died in his throat. Yes, he had the Marquis' face. He had his nose, his lips, his cheeks, every part that Carlos dreamed of kissing. But the man's eyes were as black as the obsidian disk that laid between them.

 "You are not Cecil."

 The man took Carlos' words as a joke. He grinned wide, showing off his shark-like teeth.

 "No, my dear friend, I am not." In his hands, the Marquis' hands, he shuffled a painfully familiar cards. For a moment Carlos' heart went out to the weathered deck. Cecil, both Cecil's, treated them as if they were their own child. Each card was treated with utmost respect and care.  But this man, this thing did not see the same way. Instead he cut the cards as brutally as one may sever a chicken's neck. "But time is short, and I know your patience is shorter. You have someone you wish to see again, do you not?"

 Carlos felt his fingernails dig into the palm of his hand. The man simply chuckled in response.

 "Not one for words? Don't worry. I'm sure these faded old cards can do enough talking for you." The man tossed a card in front of Carlos with no ceremony. "I never liked using these. There's simply far too many of them! Too many meanings, too many ways to interpret them. A handy tool for a untrustworthy gypsy, but not for those who seek the truth."

 "So what would you prefer?" Carlos said despite his own fear. He lightly ran a finger against the back of the card, as if he was trying to sooth it of the pain the man had inflicted.

 "Entrails."The man waved his hand. The card in front of Carlos flipped over, revealing a scene of a lost battle.

 "The Ten of Swords." He spoke with music in his voice. "You got yourself into a rather nasty spot, haven't you? And now you lay dying, your body pierced by blades of your own making. Oh dear oh dear. But it's the end, isn't it? Shouldn't you be off to whatever awaits you? No, this doesn't seem right at all! Almost as if there was something holding you back."

 Another card was haplessly tossed Carlos' way. This one landed face up. On it was a king, sitting with a stave in his hand. The man let out a practiced sigh, as if he were trying to mimic a lovesick young girl.

 "Of course, the King of Wands! A man of passion, yet of determination! One who would never crack during the most trying of circumstances. A man that a scientist such as yourself would follow to the ends of the Earth. Even if your religion and polite society don'tt agree."

 "What do you want?" Carlos spoke, yet the imposter did not seem to hear. Instead another card was tossed at Carlos' chest, only to have it fall back onto the table.

 "What do I want? What do you want, dearest Carlos?" The third card flipped as the man batted his eyes. The card was upside-down, but still clearly depicted two beggars in the snow. "The Five of Pentacles? Do you wish to escape the fate of all humanity simply to help the man you love? Or is it the reunion itself that you desire?"

 Carlos moved his lips, yet no words came out. There were a thousand questions on the tip of his tongue. A thousand things he wanted to deny, and another thousand he wished to confess. Yet as the bitter incense scratched at his throat only a single question escaped.

 "Who are you?"

 That appeared to be the question the man had been waiting for. He carefully picked one last card from the top of the deck, but he kept it hidden in his hands.

 "Once upon a time," The man said with a smile on his lips, "There was a little boy. The little boy's mother was dying, and as she walked the precipice between life and death she fell into madness. At least, that is what the doctors told the little boy. They told him not to mind what she was saying, but the boy knew better. He listened to every word as she spoke her last breath. And as her soul left her body she warned her son that one day he shall be killed. And he shall be killed with a mirror.

 What the little boy didn't know was that across the world there was another little boy. And that little boy's mother was dying as well. But when that little boy's mother spoke she did not warn him. No, she promised him. She promised him that one day he would kill. And he shall kill with a mirror."

 The incense in the air had gone stale. The scent of herbs and flowers had been replaced by ash. It hung in Carlos' lungs, spreading it's filth through his body. Across the small table the man smiled down at the hidden card, as if it were a treasured secret.

 "You wish to kill Cecil."

 "Oh no. Heavens no!" The man placed the card against his heart. "The thought of killing a man so similar yet so unknown is simply horrifying. But I will. Yet no matter how many animals I slaughter I cannot divine when, or how, this will happen. Perhaps it will be when we are old men, both eager to walk the last path? Or maybe it will be tomorrow, while he is still mourning your still cooling body. Terrible, isn't it? But what is life without uncertainty?"

 Carlos took a deep breath, but the fresh air he yearned for was still heavy with smoke. "Then why this dance? Why must you torment me with what I cannot stop? Let me die, so I may wait for Cecil once more."

 "Oh, but there's the catch!" The man sighed heavily. "Your lover and I walk the same path. I do not know who is leading who through this dark and twisted woods, but I know we always reach the same destination. As you lay dying my own lover lays dying as well. But I cannot save him, just as Cecil is unable to save you. But..."

 "But..." Carlos' eyes flickered to the card in the man's hand. "You can save me?"

 "You are a smart one, aren't you?" The man's tooth filled smile returned. "I will return what was so violently stolen from you. And you will be able to stand at the right hand of your King once more. Just as I shall be able to to once again kneel at the foot of mine."

 "And the catch?"

 "The catch, my most wonderful Carlos, is that destiny is a fickle thing. The Fates do not like it when anyone, mortal or not, plays with the lines they had laid so carefully. But they tend not to notice if the strands twist together. I can save you from this end. But in return you will share another's. Your lover's, for example."

"I shall be killed with a mirror?"

 The obsidian disk on the table shook. The black plate lifted off of the wooden surface only to float up into Carlos' vision. The stone had been well polished, allowing him to see his own reflection. No. Not his. The man that gazed back at him was similar. But his hair was neat and trimmed, while Carlos' had always been wild. And his eyes were just as black and endless as the stone itself.

 "And my lover shall kill with one."

 The stone lowered back onto the table. For a moment neither man spoke. The ash in the air was painfully thick now, and Carlos knew his time was short. He looked up at the man that was so alike and yet so different from the one he loved.

 "If I refuse?"

 "My lover will die. You will die. And Cecil and I shall face our destinies alone."

 "And if I accept?"

 The man leaned forward. His eyes were as dark as the void, and the candlelight sparkled in them as if they were stars.

 "Then, sweet Carlos, we get to flip the last card."

 ***

 Cecil couldn't let go.

 He threaded his fingers around Carlos', useless as it was. He could feel the last of the man's warmth leave his body. But even with the evidence in front of his eyes the Marquis could not bring himself to let go of Carlos' hand. If he did, then it would be over.

 There would be no more late night talks. No more days spent running for their lives from unspeakable horrors. Hours would not longer sweetly slip by in study. No more conversations. No more shared meals. No more lingering touches and unnoticed glances. His life would return back to the way it had been. But now he would be aware of how empty the world was.

 The worst was the regret. He had always prided himself for never being held back by the past. But now as companion slipped away all he felt was regret. He should have told Carlos everything before it was too late. He should have screamed it at the heavens! So what if he would ruin his reputation? So what if he was thrown into the work camps, or hung for his crime? The pain he felt at that moment was nothing compared to the cruelty of his fellow man.

 But now it was too late.

 Carlos was gone.

 Cecil lifted his head, looking at his friend's face one last time. Carlos looked...happy. Wherever he went, he went there without any fear. Cecil wondered where he had went. If he was going to wait for Cecil. Or if Cecil would have to one day find him. Cecil would look for him. He would spend the rest of eternity in the search of his friend. Even if just to talk to him one last time. The Marquis leaned over and lightly kissed Carlos on the forehead.

 It was time to let go.

 "...Cec..."

 Cecil froze. For a moment he wasn't sure if he had imagined it. But under his lips he could feel Carlos' once cold skin regain its warmth. He pulled back just as the man's soft brown eyes opened. Carlos stirred, his body still heavy with injuries.

 "Carlos?" Cecil's voice cracked. He once again took his dear friend's hand. What was once still moments ago had regained its strength. Their fingers entwined together, no longer caring where one ended and one began. "Carlos!"

 "Cecil?" Carlos weakly moved his head, trying to take in the world around them. "I'm alive?"

 "Yes! Yes." Cecil forced his voice lower. "You, you fell into a deep sleep and no one could wake you. I...I was afraid...oh, Carlos!" He lifted Carlos' hand up and lightly kissed each knuckle. Another time he would have balked at the idea of such a forward expression. But at that moment the only thing keeping his hands still were Carlos' still healing injuries.

 "It's alright." Carlos must not have minded Cecil's outburst, since he only smiled at the kisses. "I won't leave you. Not while we have unfinished business to take care of."

 "Oh, Carlos..." Cecil pressed their joined hands against his cheek, at a loss for words. He was content to stay in that position for the rest of his life until Carlos spoke again.

 "Cecil? What sort of card is the Ten of Cups? Is it a good one?"

 "Hmm? Oh. Yes. It symbolizes a happy ending, more or less."

 "Oh. Lovely."

 

**Author's Note:**

> The Minor Arcana never gets proper screen time. I thought it was about time that someone did something about that.
> 
> Work is unbeta'd, and was quickly drabbled out. Sorry for any mistakes!


End file.
